Upland Birds Small Game 2023/24

[PorkChop]

Figured I would start a post as today was pheasant opener. Saw these guys while waiting for cranes. We will start hitting them hard here sooner than later. Heard the population is up 70%

[Rick]

Left me thinking that area either has a lot of pheasants or very few naked roost trees.

[PorkChop]

Actually both!

[5 stand]

I've seen them roost in green trees (but only twice) over the years, I'm also not out there very early so it may happen more than we think?

[Deltaman]

Glad to hear their numbers are up, and looking forward to seeing your reports! I know when it gets cold up there it can be tough, but your game opps this time of year are many, and seeing you enjoying it with your kids makes them even better

[PorkChop]

Well I got my first upland bird of the year. A Hungarian Partridge. Unfortunately it flew into the truck this morning when I was scouting. I brought it home as it did not appear to be too beat up. Reaper and I went out this evening after roosters. This is the first pheasant hunt I have done in a few years. I’ve done a few short walks here and there but Nothing serious. I am so happy with the new hip

First time reaper got a little birdie a few Tweety birds got up. He sure does like those Tweety birds so I let my guard down and of course two roosters went up. I hit one but it went into a big thing of thick cattails. No luck in finding it. He got birdie again and three roosters went up right after two hens went up. We were right by the road and of course they flew right over the road so they live to see another day. Had a few other flushes and shot opportunities but tonight I sucked!

I usually use black cloud number threes. I think I am going to switch back to lead shot. Them pheasants are tough suckers or maybe I’m just a crappy shot! Maybe I need to attend 5 stands school of upland bird shooting!

In regards to killing we definitely have not been doing as good as we should be this season but we have been getting out a lot and still having some great times. We have a pretty hot duck field for the morning. Hopefully they come in little small groups like they did this morning when I was scouting. It’s going to be a different weather pattern so we will have to see. The girls and I will give it our best shot!

[5 stand]

" I think I am going to switch back to lead shot".

I think this is a very good idea, there's no way I'm shooting steel, if I have the option of lead...

The upland shooting that you've seen in the videos, it's lead...
My second and third barrel are roll my own upland #9's... But you haven't seen any of those, I don't know how they will come across, so I haven't posted any of those...

[5 stand]

The best advice 5 stand School of shooting can give over the internet tonight, is confidence kills birds... You killed them before no reason you shouldn't kill them tomorrow morning...

Hope the PorkChop family has a lot of fun in the morning...

[PorkChop]

And the only reason why we haven’t been killing more birds is I have been trying to get the birds right so the girls will get good shots. I probably should stop that and make them learn how to shoot at birds that are not perfectly in front of them. There was a time I never shot until they shot but now I shoot so it’s a little more like competition. I noticed with Vinny that has made her a better shot.

[5 stand]

Not going to get into the family methods of hunting, there's always give and take with new hunters that join the party... I'm sure Nettles realizes what's been going on and I don't think she would have a problem with y'all making a pile tomorrow morning... And damnit there I go getting into family methods...

[PorkChop]

Not going to get into the family methods of hunting, there's always give and take with new hunters that join the party... I'm sure Nettles realizes what's been going on and I don't think she would have a problem with y'all making a pile tomorrow morning... And damnit there I go getting in two family methods...

[PorkChop]

What size shot are you using for lead? I see you put number nine’s but I’m guessing that’s TSS?

[5 stand]

What size shot are you using for lead? I see you put number nine’s but I’m guessing that’s TSS?

I like lead # 5 for pheasants... I tried # 6 on the Prairie Grouse last year and had mixed results and went back to #5 this year... Moe and I lost two birds last year, this year we didn't lose any, not sure it was because I was shooting #5's though... Could be that confidence thing?



And yes TSS...

[PorkChop]

This was the day that Nattles shot her first duck. None of these flocks in the video were shot at. Spinners are 22 yards away. If I was by myself it would’ve been over quick. I have no regrets with the small pile pictures. I have killed plenty in my day and now it’s their turn. It’s just trying to figure out how to make them better shots. Or to be more aggressive I guess in taking the shots. Maybe it’s because they are girls I don’t know. I don’t want to be sexist haha

I do think that I messed up by not shooting at the same time as them. I think the competition would have made them better sooner!

[PorkChop]

Thank you for the info on the shot size. I was thinking number fives or number fours. I will still have steel shot for when I hunt the waterfall production areas.

[5 stand]

This was the day that Nattles shot her first duck. None of these flocks in the video were shot at. Spinners are 22 yards away. If I was by myself it would’ve been over quick. I have no regrets with the small pile pictures. I have killed plenty in my day and now it’s their turn. It’s just trying to figure out how to make them better shots. Or to be more aggressive I guess in taking the shots. Maybe it’s because they are girls I don’t know. I don’t want to be sexist haha

I do think that I messed up by not shooting at the same time as them. I think the competition would have made them better sooner!

I've never seen a flock like that of mallards while hunting, just in videos...
Big flock to me is 7...

[PorkChop]

This was the day that Nattles shot her first duck. None of these flocks in the video were shot at. Spinners are 22 yards away. If I was by myself it would’ve been over quick. I have no regrets with the small pile pictures. I have killed plenty in my day and now it’s their turn. It’s just trying to figure out how to make them better shots. Or to be more aggressive I guess in taking the shots. Maybe it’s because they are girls I don’t know. I don’t want to be sexist haha

I do think that I messed up by not shooting at the same time as them. I think the competition would have made them better sooner!

I've never seen a flock like that of mallards while hunting, just in videos...
Big flock to me is 7...

I hate to say that those are not big flocks but they are not big flocks

[5 stand]

Sounds like a neat place to hunt...

[Rick]

This was the day that Nattles shot her first duck. None of these flocks in the video were shot at. Spinners are 22 yards away. If I was by myself it would’ve been over quick. I have no regrets with the small pile pictures. I have killed plenty in my day and now it’s their turn. It’s just trying to figure out how to make them better shots. Or to be more aggressive I guess in taking the shots. Maybe it’s because they are girls I don’t know. I don’t want to be sexist haha

I do think that I messed up by not shooting at the same time as them. I think the competition would have made them better sooner!

Of course, it's because they're girls. Ever see a boy not try to beat his brother or cousin at/to something?

And videos like that, my friends, are exactly why guys down here hate spinners up there - unless, of course, they happen to be hunting up there.

[PorkChop]

Yep the southern guys definitely use a lot of them up here and in Canada. Wouldn’t hurt my feelings to see them outlawed.

[Deltaman]

That video got my heart pumping PC, and I'm glad you have enough birds around to be able to teach your kids how to handle the opportunities when presented. Screw steel shot if not required on those upland birds too! Also, Congrats on the new hip

[DComeaux]

Love seeing those birds over the decoys. Brings back memories of a hunting trip I was on in HIgh Level Canada (Alberta) a few years ago. Like taking candy from a baby. They didn't use spinners on our hunts, just a goose spread in pea fields. We'd get ducks when the fields were closer to water.

[PorkChop]

Ducks definitely love peas and if you find a chick pea field you could probably wear blaze orange

[PorkChop]

This is not the first time a sharpie has come into the Lucky Ducks.

[PorkChop]

Forgot to post a picture but Vinny shot the first rooster of the year. Nothing special just saw them in the road ditch and so she walked through the tall grass and it flushed flew over the field one shot and it was dead.

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[5 stand]

NOTHING SPECIAL???
"One shot and it was dead"
I'm about to spend 5 days trying to do the same thing...

[5 stand]

Pretty sure if the old man shot it there would be a video of it, he just didn't want to pay the dollar fifty bird cleaning fee...

[PorkChop]

Pretty sure if the old man shot it there would be a video of it, he just didn't want to pay the dollar fifty bird cleaning fee...

I actually do have a video of her shooting but the bird is not in it. I’m sure I owe her about 100 bucks

[PorkChop]

Did a little scouting tonight and then we spotted a group of Hungarian Partridge. I filmed from the truck because I don’t like the cold sometimes. She skinned it out whole. Need to shoot a few more now so we can fill up the roasting pan. Normally we separate the breast and the legs so she was pretty tickled to leave the bird whole with the breasts, wings and legs all attached. She even brought it into my bedroom to show me while I was doing my work.

[5 stand]

Good shot...

Tell Vinny, Moe and I are jealous, no that's not right, extremely jealous...